IoT Africa Summit enables the race to connect one billion more devices by 2020

There are clear and universal businesses cases for the adoption of IoT across multiple industries in Europe and North America. The business case for Africa however, is not so simple. A continent comprised of many countries with vastly different economic, political and social environments, Africa requires a unique approach to the development of IoT penetration.

The IoT Africa Summit, a division of the premier IT Leaders Summit which annually hosts more than 170 CIO’s from Africa’s top businesses will be gearing up to define the path for the African connectivity renaissance.

Juan Mouton, Portfolio Director for Kinetic, the Summit organiser, had the following to say on the highly anticipated summit in October. “The opportunity for IoT in Africa lies in the ability to address local problems. It needs to gain traction locally, make a marked impact in the short term, but have the ability to scale throughout the rest of Africa as it matures”. Juan goes on to mention “This journey for any business starts with cost and the ability to generate a return. We are acutely aware of the fact that businesses in a volatile environment need to show a clear and measurable return on investment, and that will be a key discussion point at this year’s summit”.

The Summit will play host to senior ICT industry professionals from companies in the finance, retail, telecoms, technology, manufacturing and health care industries; who will collaborate on identifying an African ROI within IoT as well how to incorporate divergent technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence within an IoT context.

The Summit will be co-hosted with Afrisecure, the continent’s premier cyber security summit. The more connected devices in circulation may provide reams of valuable data for businesses that lead to enhanced experiences for consumers, but all of that connectivity means more risk from cyber criminals. It is difficult to talk to the rapid deployment of IoT without considering the security risks it exposes companies, governments and businesses to.

Next-generation businesses will be those that are able to recognise and understand change; whilst adapting their operating models to respond appropriately. It is imperative that IT departments reconfigure to allow new ways of working that enables agility, flexibility of IT platforms and swift responses to an increasingly digital world.

With the role of the IT division advancing and taking on a broader and more strategic role within the business – it comes as no surprise that this has resulted in considerable transformation of the IT professional’s mandate. The forward thinking business needs to look at redefining and responding effectively to the demands of the market; in order to remain competitive and ensure that an alignment exists between IT and digital transformation.

The stage will be set for the delivery of power keynotes focused on highlighting current and future trends which are fundamentally changing the role of IT Division within the organisation. The agenda was conceptualised and shaped by a host of top CIO’s & CISO’s to ensure that a well-rounded educational platform is realised, where the most pressing industry topics, developments and moonshots are addressed at the respective summits.

The 10th IT Leaders IoT Africa Summit & Afrisecure Cyber Security Summit is hosted on the 17th & 18th of October 2018 at The Forum in Bryanston, Johannesburg - where like-minded experts and the top IT solution providers gather for an informative and educational summit with the common goal of improving IT leadership and innovation across Africa.

Follow @ITLeadersAfrica on Twitter and @AfriSecure and join the conversation using the #ITLA18 and #AFR18 hash tags.